Today in MJJ HIStory

1980 - Michael attends the 7th Annual American Music Awards, at the ABC-TV Studios in Hollywood, Ca.

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Michael receives 3 awards for Off The Wall and presents an award to the Bee Gees. Dressed in his trademark tux with a sequined shirt, Michael took home the awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Album for Off The Wall, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.

1989 - Michael Jackson in concert at the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, US.

1993 - Michael performs "We Are The World" with celebrities at the Pre-Inaugural Celebration for Bill Clinton held at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.


The day before the Inaugural Gala, Michael made an unscheduled appearance on pre-Inaugural celebration. He joined Diana Ross and several other celebrities on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in a performance of We Are The World, standing, dressed in black and gold, next to President elect Clinton, the soon to be new First Lady, and their daughter Chelsea.

1996 - Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson filed for divorce from Michael, ending a 19-month marriage that merged pop royalty. A statement from Jackson spokesman Lee Solters said the two "have mutually agreed to go their separate ways. However, they remain good friends." Irreconcilable differences were given as reason. Michael got married to Lisa on May 26, 1994 in the Dominican Republic.

1998 - Michael wins the copyright infringement case against Al Bano Carrisi for the song Will You Be There.

2008 - 'The Girl Is Mine 2008' - the first single from the upcoming 'Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition' - has released to radio stations worldwide.

Filed under  //   1980   1989   1993   1996   1998   2008  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1984 - At the first annual Black Gold Awards, produced by Dick Clark, Michael wins four awards.

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Michael Jackson - Top Male Vocalist
Thriller - Best Album
"Billie Jean" - Best Single of the Year
"Beat It" - Best Video Performance

1996 - Michael Jackson's "History: Past, Present & Future Book 1" was certified 6 times Platinum.

2003 - Michael Jackson visited Maurice Gibb in a Miami hospital. Gibb died the next day.

Dieter Wiesner & Ronald Konitzer officially take over Michael's management in a written agreement. The first act is to fire MIchael's previous managers Trudy Green & Howard Koffman. They also work on a plan named MJ Universe which Is supposed to relaunch Michael's career

Filed under  //   1984   1996   2003  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1992 - Michael perform last of 8 dates at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo during the Japanese leg of Dangerous tour attending 45,000 fans.

On December 31st in Tokyo, Japan, Slash joined Michael onstage for a special performance of “Black or White”. It was the last concert of the first leg of the Dangerous World Tour.

1996 - Michael perform HIStory concert at Jerudong Park Amphitheatre in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei attending 60,000 fans.

Never televised, but known to exist as a rare promo item as with Royal Concert. Along with the latter performance, it is one of the rarest known concerts to exist. Private collectors have obtained the concert on VHS in high quality but have never released full concert footage; these fans have remained controversial for refusing to share this and the Royal Concert with the fan community among other issues. In October 2008 a poor-quality VCD copy (also additionally compressed and watermarked) was uploaded onto the internet by a fan in Brunei who obtained the concert from a stage crew. Video quality was fair and the sound was badly encoded with a low rumbling appearing when bass was played. Starting from February 2009, the uncompressed and unwatermarked files from the same VCD source had been uploaded, though the sound quality is still the same. As of 2010 this concert is still only available in poor quality. Like Malaysia, most people in Brunei are Muslim, so crotch-grabbing was also removed in this concert and is also obscured by camera angles that are different from most other concerts. This concert is also noted for the first verse of "Scream" being sung live. The curtain used in "Smooth Criminal" and the crane for "Beat It" & "Earth Song" were not present during this concert (though they were during the Royal Concert)

2007 - The loan on the Sony/ATV music catalog is refinanced which provides 25 millions dollars in cash to Michael.

Filed under  //   1992   1996   2007  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1970 - The Jackson 5 perform a concert at the Greensboro Coliseum, North Carolina during the winter tour.
Ticket prices are $7.00, $6.00 and $5.00 and the show was presented through the co-operation of Radio Station WEAL in Greensboro.

1989 - Michael was among the celebrities who rallied to the cause of young Ryan White, an Indiana high school student and hemophiliac who had contracted AIDS in late 1984 from a blood transfusion he received while being treated for pneumonia. White’s battle with the disease was extended to being a fight to remain in school despite his condition, making him the poster child for AIDS awareness and education.

Michael bought White a red Mustang in June 1989, and then invited him to spend the X-mas holidays with him at Neverland from December 28 to January 2, for what turned out to be his very last New Year, where he rested and watched movies with the King of Pop.

Eighteen-year-old White succumbed to the disease on April 8, 1990, and Michael eulogized him in the song Gone Too Soon, released the following year.

1996 - Michael perform HIStory concert at Fukuoka Dome in Fukuoka, Japan attending 35,000 fans.

Filed under  //   1970   1989   1996  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1983 - The UK-only release "Michael Jackson 9 Single Pack" hit #66 in the U.K.

1988 - Michael perform the last of 9 dates at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo during the Japanese leg of Bad tour.

At these final concerts in Japan, farewell concert T-shirts and hats were sold. But it was not really his farewell concert, he still had dates to make up in Los Angeles. So, it was back to the U.S. agin.

In late October of 1988, "Moonwalker" made its debut in Japanese theatres. And finally on December 26, the movie was released in Europe. Although, "Moonwalker" received mixed critics, it was a success in both Japan and Europe. In Britain and France, it was reported that people were standing in line in front of the movie theatres.

Michael's then-manager Frank Dileo decided not to release "Moonwalker" in the US movie theatres.

1991 - Michael Jackson was featured on ABC-TV's "Entertainers '91." The show featured the top 20 entertainers of 1991.

1992 - During "UNCF"/Parade Of Stars, a broadcast request for donations to the "United Negro College Fund", aired December 26, 1992, Michael Jackson speaks on the importance of equal rights to education and on the "Michael Jackson Scholarship Program" benefits:

"Black Colleges and Universities produce some of the leading personalities of our time. They are leaders in business and law, science and technology, politics and religion. I’m proud to have helped over 200 young men and women receive a quality education that has placed them closer to their dreams through the Michael Jackson scholars program. Tonight, I encourage you to pitch in for higher education. Please support the United Negro College Fund"
"Heal The World" live is included at the event. The four year college and university/scholarship for deserving students at a UNCF member college or university, focuses on Communications, Performing Arts, Literature/English/Writing and is a distinction available to African-Americans.

December 26-28: Michael flies to Nagasaki-Ken to visit the amusement park Huis Ten with Tito’s children, the 3T.

1996 - Michael perform HIStory concert at Fukuoka Dome in Fukuoka, Japan attending 35,000 fans.

2004 - On January 4, 2005, on behalf of his family and himself, Michael Jackson releases a statement on his website concerning the 9.1 Mw undersea megathrust earthquake and tsunami disaster which occurred on December 26, 2004, affecting Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and Maldives and killing over 230,000 people from fourteen countries.

“My family and I would like to send our prayers and heartfelt sympathy to the families, friends and loved ones of those who recently perished from the horrific earthquake and tsunami, which swept through Indonesia, Asia, India, Somalia and other countries”, Jackson declares. “Our love is also being sent to those who have miraculously survived this tragedy and to those who are so courageously on-site, helping to spearhead the relief efforts. We pray for your strength, your safety and the success of your life-saving missions of love. Words cannot adequately express the shock, horror and grief we've felt, while watching news reports which have captured the massive devastation and despair. It has been especially painful for me, as I have visited these areas many times and I remember the love, kindness and warmth of the people I met there”, he also declares. I would like to encourage all of my friends, and fans, to contribute to agencies and organizations assisting in these efforts. In times like these, we need each other... we must bond together in spirit and in service. God Bless. Sincerely, Michael Jackson”.
Filed under  //   1983   1988   1991   1992   1996   2004  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1996 - Michael perform HIStory concert at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo dattending 45,000 fans.

2002 - Gold magazine publishes an interview of Michael.

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Michael Jackson is the king of pop, the man who made the biggest selling album in history, a man whose dance routines and tunes have entranced people in every corner of the globe, from Johannesburg to Jakarta, from London to L.A.

But he is also an enigma. A child star with his siblings in the Jackson Five, he comes from an immensely talented family and, as youngest son, carved for himself the most successful solo career of all of them. He is one of the few world-famous children who have gone on to become world-famous adults; and now he is reinventing himself again, as a film star.

Despite his fame, despite the fact that he has been performing, creating and improvising almost since he was old enough to walk, Jackson is shy of publicity. He may have hordes of fans and photographers surrounding him whenever he steps out in public, but he is an intensely private man who lives with his family on his fairy-tale Neverland ranch in California. In this rare interview, he talks candidly to Magdalena, the Gold Girl, about fame, the burden of his childhood stardom, his view on the media, and his future in film.

magdalena "gold girl" "Do you most see yourself as a musician, an entertainer or an entrepreneur?"
michael jackson:Probably all of the above, because I love entertaining and I always will love entertaining. I love becoming a slave to rhythm. Because dancing is about interpreting the sounds and accompaniments of the orchestra. You know, you become the sound, you become the bass, you become whatever you hear, and you do it bodily. But I try not to get so caught up in it all that you don't think about your future. So many great entertainers have just been taken in the past, and they ended up lonely, sad and broken. I've always said to myself, I never want to be that way and I'm going to try my hardest to learn about the business side, support myself, invest my money, save. Who knows what tomorrow brings? You want to be protected financially so you can support yourself.

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magdalena "gold girl" "Would you like to be remembered as a great entertainer?"
michael jackson: I love movies and I love art - and an architect is an entertainer, the guy who builds a rollercoaster is an entertainer. He knows where to build the slopes, and the big anticipation when you go up... He makes you go,'Oh my God!' when you get to the top before you come down. It's just the same as structuring a show or a dance.

magdalena "gold girl" "Does it ever become a burden to be one of the most recognized stars in the world?"
michael jackson: There's nowhere in the world I can actually go and have privacy. The thing that hurts the most is the fact that your privacy is taken away from you. To use the silly expression, you live in a fishbowl, but it's true. I do disguises... People know them all, it's very hard, very hard.

magdalena "gold girl" "What kind of disguises?"
michael jackson: Bat suits, buck teeth, glasses, afros, prosthetics, make-up jobs, everything. Just to sit in the audience and experience it the way an audience would experience a show; I want to feel how they feel.

magdalena "gold girl" "Do they find you out?"
michael jackson: Sometimes, yes. In the beginning, no. Then they start looking me in the eyes. I put these things on and then they start looking behind the glasses... Girls are very smart, you know. You can trick a guy quicker than you can trick a girl. Women can just pick it up. They know the way you move your body, the way you walk, the way you gesture. I hear them go,'Look at the way he moves his hand', or ' Look at the way he was walking', and I think,' Oh no.

magdalena "gold girl" "If You were invisible for a day in London, what would you do?"
michael jackson: Oh boy. Who would I like to slap? Let me see {laughs}... I think I'd find one of the tabloid paparazzis and kick his ass , moonwalk style. I'd really like to knock them off one of those little scooters they ride around on, I really would, knock the cameras right out of their hands. They're so anoying. I'd go for them first, yeah. They drive you nuts. You can't get away from them. It's terrible.

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magdalena "gold girl" "Who has inspired you the most professionally, and who do you relate to?"
michael jackson: Probably Walt Disney; because when I was little I grew up in an adult world. I grew up on stage. I grew up in night clubs. When I was seven, eight years old I was in nightclubs. I saw striptease girls take off all their clothes. I saw fights break out. I saw people throw up on each other. I saw adults act like pigs. That's why to this day I hate clubs. I don't like going to clubs - I did that already, I've been there. That's why I compensate now for what I didn't do then. So when you come to my house, you'll see I have rides, I have a movie theatre, I have animals. I love animals - elephants and giraffes and lions and tigers and bears, all kinds of snakes. I get to do all those wonderful things that I didn't get to do when I was little, because we didn't have those things. We didn't have Christmas. We didn't have sleepovers. We didn't have school, we had private school when we were touring. I didn't go to a state school. We tried it for two weeks and it didn't work. It was very difficult. It's hard growing up a celebrity child. Very few make that transition from child star to adult star. It's very difficult. I relate to Shirley Temple. I met her in San Francisco and I sat at her table and I cried so bad. She said,'What's wrong Michael?' I said,'I love you. I need to be around you more.' She goes,'You're one of us, aren't you?' and I said 'Yes, I am.' Somebody else said,'What do you mean?' and she said,'Michael knows what I mean.' And I know exactly what she meant - to have been there as a child star and to have graduated to have succeeded in making that transition to fame as an adult is very difficult. When you're a child star people don't want you to grow up. They want you to stay little for ever. They don't want you to work afterwards. It's very hard.

magdalena "gold girl" "Tell me more about your interests in theme parks - what is it about them that interests you?"
michael jackson: My favourite thing about theme parks - and I have a pretty good outlook on it because I've travelled the world many times over - is I love seeing people simply come together with their families and have fun. It really does bring them closer together. I go for fun, but I also go to study. I go after hours to most parks because I can't go in the regular hours. They're kind of like a ghost town.

magdalena "gold girl" "I hear you have some ideas for a theme park in Las Vegas?"
michael jackson: I've done many projects in Las Vegas, and what I think I've done is I've widend the demographic there. Because when I was a little kid - I was no more than eight years old - my brothers and I would go to Las Vegas, and at that time kids weren't even allowed to walk on a casino floor. So we used to stay up in our rooms, bored, with nothing to do while everyone else gambled. There was only one place for kids in Vegas at the time, called Circus Circus. It was a hotel and the theme they had there was clowns, So there was a trapease man and there were chimps doing the little unicycles. When I got older we played Vegas a lot - we performed there many, many times - and I thought about it and I said,'It's really not fair that there's nothing here for children,' so I started to conceive a couple of ideas for certain hotel owners. And now it's like the family-themed vacation kingdom, it really is.

magdalena "gold girl" "Who are your favourite people?"
michael jackson: I love people who have really contributed to the pleasure and hapiness of the planet and mankind, people with light - from Walt Disney to Ghandi to Edison to Martin Luther King. These are people with light, people who really cared about children, bringing families together, and love. That's what I try to say in my music and in my songs. If you go to one of my concerts, my shows, you will see 200,000 people swaying, holding candles, saying,'We want to heal the world,' and 'We love you.' I've seen it around the world from Russia to Germany to Poland to Africa to America. We're all the same. People cry in the same places in the show. They get angry in the same places in the show, they get the pathos in the same places.

magdalena "gold girl" "Was Fred Astaire your friend?"
michael jackson: Yes. Fred Astaire was my neighbour. I used to see him every day when I was riding my little motorscooter. He always told me, he would always say when I was a little kid,'You're gonna be a big star.' He told me that he thought I was an incredible entertainer and a great mover. And he always used to say,'You're the best,' and I'd say,'No, you're the best.' I remember the first time I did the moonwalk. Fred called me at home. He was screaming on the phone, raving. He said it was the best performance he'd ever seen. I said,'Oh, come on.' He said,'Michael, you put them on their ass.You're a hell of a mover. You're a hell of a dancer.' I said,'Well, coming from you, I don't need any awards.' Because I was nominated for an Emmy for that performance, and I didn't get it, but it didn't matter to me because Fred Astaire said he loved my performance, and that's all the award I needed.

magdalena "gold girl" "If you could work with anyone, alive or dead, who would that be?"
michael jackson: If I could work with anybody it would be Charlie Chaplin, who I love so much. Also, Laurence oliver was a genius, really. Those two guys, I think. And also the king, Brando.

magdalena "gold girl" "Last year you put together a short film, You Rock My World, with the assistence of Marlon Brando. What was it like working with the master?"
michael jackson: Brando is a good friend of mine. He's very much like me. He doesn't go many places. He comes to Neverland or he stays in my house in Mulholland Drive, or he goes to Tahiti. His son worked for me for more than 20 years, and his other son was in my class in private school. He's just a giant. You see, Brando's smart, because when he works with me he always says,'I know what buttons to push to get emotion from you.' He knows me so well. He knows how to get me ticked off, so he'll say certain things to get me really geared up. He's a genius. He's a king. He's the last of that generation. He's a brilliant man, a lovely person. I love him and he's my good friend.

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magdalena "gold girl" "You had a cameo in Men In Black II, was that fun to work on?"
michael jackson: The Men In Black project really was a lot of fun because I introduced myself as the new guy.

magdalena "gold girl" "It was obvious from the video of Thriller that you have a great interest in the visual arts."
michael jackson: Everything I do I like either to direct myself, or work closely with the director - we co-direct and come up with the ideas together. If you look at Ghosts, it says co-written by Michael Jackson and Stephen King. We wrote it on the telephone, Stephen and I - he's a lovely guy, he's amazing. We wrote it on the phone, just talking together.

magdalena "gold girl" "Who are the figures in the movie business you most admire, and why?"
michael jackson: I just love Robert De Niro. I think he's such a multi-faceted actor. He can play anything from a comedian to a preist to a psychopathic killer to an idiot to a charming uncle to just anything. And of course, any of the great dancers.

magdalena "gold girl" "Who would be your ideal leading lady, and why?"
michael jackson: An actress? {laughs} You and I should do a film together. Let's do it, I'd love that...

magdalena "gold girl" "There was talk of you going to the moon to perform an authentic moonwalk here. Is there any truth in this?"
michael jackson: {laughs} There is some truth in it. It's not a rumour. I'll just say that.

magdalena "gold girl" "You outbid Paul McCartney for the Beatles archive. What was so special about it?"
michael jackson: No, I didn't, he didn't bid for it. It was for sale and I liked it and I bought it, like buying a piece of art.

magdalena "gold girl" "Tell me more about your passion for children's charities. Which organizations do you support?"
michael jackson: Well, I have a charity for kids that I created myself, called Heal the World. And whenever I do a concert or anything pertaining to entertainment, I give a certain amount to Heal the World - you know orphanages, hospitals, kids who need a lung or a liver, we'll find it, we'll pay for the surgery. On tour, I do as many hospitals and orphanages as I do concerts. We go to 12-years-olds and we take boxes and boxes and boxes of toys, a bunch of Michael Jackson posters and paraphernalia. They love it.

magdalena "gold girl" "How much more do you feel you want to achieve in your life?"
michael jackson: I'm never satisfied. There are so many different avenues and so many different things that I want to do. I've done a lot, but I don't think it's enough, which is why I don't put up any awards or anything in my house. You won't see any awards in my house, I put them all away in storage. Because if you get caught up in that, you start to feel like,'Oh, man, I did it.' There's so much more, so many more mountains to climb.

magdalena "gold girl" "If one of your children came to you and said,'Dad, I want to be a pop star,' what's the best advise you could give them?"
michael jackson: The best advise that I would give them is it's a lot of hard work, and be propared, because it's not all joy all the time. And that you've got to have rhinoceros skin, because the bigger the star, the bigger the target. The tabloid press are bastards, and you've got to have rhinoceros skin to deal with that kind of ignorance mentality. They do it simply to sell papers, because bad news sell, not good news. They simply make it up. If they don't have anything, they just make it up. I'm nothing like the way the tabloids have painted me out to be, nothing. Nothing like that. They're the ones who are crazy. They're ignorant. I always say to my fans 'Let's have a tabloid burning. Let's make a big mountain out of tabloids and just burn them.' The real fans who love me know that garbage isn't true. They know. They're smart.

magdalena "gold girl" "Have you always wanted to do film? If your family had not been such successful musicians, would you have turned to it earlier in your life?"
michael jackson: I've always wanted to do film, but the tours got in the way. That's why I want to take several years off just doing film. I'd like to get six great movies behind me, and then I'll do a little bit of touring, then I'll do more filming.

magdalena "gold girl" "What kind of ideas do you have for film?"
michael jackson: I have ideas for film and movement and dance and things that people have never seen. I can't wait to just surprise people. That's why I've been dying to start a film production company, and I'm very excited that that's what we're doing with Neverland Pictures. I get to just have a clean slate and play and create and sculpt.

magdalena "gold girl" "Tell me a little bit about the werewolf idea in your films, and how does it relate to video?"
michael jackson: I haven't read the script yet for Wolfed - it's one of the movies that we're going to be making and I'm really excited about it. I'm so happy to be working with Sammy Lee {the co-writer of Music Box, who recently acquired 'first look' rights to Jackson's films}. We're doing some great projects together in film, and I'm really excited.

magdalena "gold girl" "And Wolfed will be the first film?"
michael jackson: As of now, our schedule says that Wolfed will be the first film. That's going to be fun. I want it to be really scary. Rick Baker wants to do all the visual effects. He has seven Academy awards. Rick is very excited about it too - he did American Werewolf in London. He won an Oscar, and he said,'Michael, that was nothing.' That's nothing compared to what he can do today. And he did Thriller and he said of that,'It's nothing'. He can go way beyond that. He did all the Eddie Murphy films, Clumps and Nutty Professor and all that Men In Black stuff too. He does all that.

magdalena "gold girl" "So tell me how you would like to be remembered?"
michael jackson: How would I like to be remembered? As a person who came and brought light to the world, some escapism. Also as the voice for the voiceless children, because I love them. I'm living for the children. If it weren't for the kids, I would throw in the towel. A baby, a child - now that's amazing. They're little geniuses, you know, little geniuses. They really are.

magdalena "gold girl" "Do you enjoy being a father?"
michael jackson: It's my favourite thing. I love it. I love it. I love it.

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magdalena "gold girl" "The other day I saw you pick up your daughter when she was sleeping. You just picked her up, and I could see the joy in your face..."
michael jackson: Oh, I love them. The Jacksons have a lot of kids. I have a lot of nephews and nieces. There's a lot of us!

magdalena "gold girl" "What is your relationship with your brothers and sisters?"
michael jackson: I love my brothers and sisters. When I'm with them we laugh. It's like a different version of yourself. We can just laugh and giggle and talk about old times. We're not together as much as we'd like to be. We're all busy. We're all in showbusiness. We're always doing something. If I'm in town, Janet's out of town. If we're both here, my brother's somewhere else. Everybody's running around, you know.

magdalena "gold girl" "Are you a family man? What do you like doing with your family?"
michael jackson: My personal family? My Children? We love just sitting together, talking, shooting the breeze. We sit by the lake. I take the for a walk every day at my house. We sit by the lake and we throw rocks in the water and we just talk.

magdalena "gold girl" "What do you think is the deepest form of love someone can feel? And have you felt it?"
michael jackson: Wow, I think that's really a matter of opinion. Have I felt the deepest form of love? I don't know what would be the deepest... {long pause} and interesting question... {repeats question a few times}. I love my children very, very much, and I always look in their eyes and tell them that - I think that's the most important thing.

Michael goes to Miami to visit houses and work with Barry Gibb on a charity song.

2003 - Michael returns to Neverland for the first time since it was searched for a private get together entitled “You Are Not Alone” which about 600 friends & family attend

Michael who does not consider Neverland as his home anymore, moves in a rented mansion in Beverly Hills with Grace & the kids.

2008
- Michael is spotted wearing a Zorro mask while visiting his Dr Arnlold Klein, his dermatomogist's office in Beverly Hills.

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Filed under  //   1996   2002   2003   2008  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1988 - Michael perform 6th of 9 dates at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo during the Japanese leg of Bad tour.

1992 - Michael perform 4th of 8 dates at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo during the Japanese leg of Dangerous tour attending 45,000 fans.

1996 - "Ghosts" premièred in Sony Movie Theatre in Tokyo, Japan. Michael was present at the Tokyo première of his 35-minute short film.

2000 - A gorgeous looking Michael Jackson made a surprise appearance at WKTU's "Miracle On 34th Street" concert at New York's Madison Square Garden and sent thousands of concertgoers into hysterics

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As part of the grand finale, all performers lined up across the stage and the orchestra started The Jacksons' hit "Shake Your Body [Down To The Ground]".

Michael came out from the wings to wild applause and cheering. Unfortunately, for the crowd, he didn't perform, telling the audience that he had laryngitis, but he did wish everyone happy holidays.

Surprise presenter Whitney Houston jumped up and down and hugged Michael.

Before he left the stage, he promised the packed house, "The best is yet to come!"

The Charity concert feat. performances by Whitney Houston, Marc Anthony, Destiny's Child, Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Brian McKnight, Melanie C, 98 Degrees, Lara Fabian, Gloria Gaynor, Deniece Williams, Jon Secada...Toni Braxton served as emcee for the event.

Filed under  //   1988   1992   1996   2000  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1978 - The Jacksons released their third album on the Epic label, DESTINY, on December 17, 1978. Having parted ways with the Gamble & Huff production team (1977’s Goin’ Places was a poor seller), Michael and his brothers had more creative control than ever.

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Destiny album eventually peaked at #11 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and #3 on the Billboard Black Albums chart and went on to platinum status cementing it as the first RIAA-certified platinum seller by the Jacksons as most of their Motown recordings were uncertifiable despite their huge success on the charts, and over 2 million copies worldwide.

A party was held to celebrate the album's success and to present the group with a platinum copy of Destiny. Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley declared "Jacksons Day" and a celebration was held in a bank vault specially equipped with a dance floor at the City National Bank of Beverly Hills, Michael's date for the occasion was Tatum O'Neal, his first real love, as Michael says, "after Diana."

All of the songs on Destiny, with the exception of one, was written by the Jacksons, or by Michael and Randy. Michael and Randy wrote together most often because they were the only two brothers still living at home. The only song on the album that was not written by the Jacksons was the first single, "Blame It On The Boogie", which was co-written by Michael Jackson. This Michael Jackson however, is white and from England. Despite its catchy disco beat and lyrics, "Blame It On The Boogie" reached only a disappointing #54 on the pop singles chart. The single did however, reach #3 on the black singles chart.

The most successful single from Destiny was the 2nd release, "Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground", co-written by Michael and Randy, became a signature tune of the disco age. This infectious dance tune peaked at #7 on the pop singles chart and #3 on the black singles chart. Michael, in a rare interview for a radio program, recalled writing the song with Randy. "Randy was going around the house humming a tune and I liked it. I asked him what it was and he said, 'It's nothing.' I said, 'No, it's something.'" Michael went on to write the melody and lyrics for "Shake Tour Body". "I don't know where it came from. God, I say."

"Through the ages, the peacock has been honoured and praised for its attractive, illustrious beauty. In all the bird family, the peacock is the only species that integrates all colours into one, and displays this radiance of fire only when in love. We like the peacock, try to integrate all races into one, through the love and power of music." [from dedication also included on "Triumph" written by Michael and Jackie Jackson for Peacock Productions]

1988 - Michael perform 4th of 9 dates at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo during the Japanese leg of Bad tour.

1992 - Michael perform 3rd of 8 dates at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo during the Japanese leg of Dangerous tour attending 45,000 fans.

1996 - Michael perform HIStory concert at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo dattending 45,000 fans.

1997 - Michael visits british boxer Prince Naseem at a gymnasium in New York. While in New York, he meets Puff Daddy to speak of a possible collaboration together.

Filed under  //   1978   1988   1992   1996   1997  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1973 - Jermaine Jackson marries Hazel Gordy, 1973.

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Jermaine Jackson became the second member of the Jackson 5 to get engaged, but this time the circumstances involved the group more closely. On December 15, 1973, Jermaine married Hazel Gordy, the only daughter of Motown boss Berry Gordy. The lavish wedding was compared by some to the recent royal wedding of British Princess Anne, and was proclaimed “the wedding of the century” by Ebony magazine.

Katherine Jackson had left the family home a month earlier, distressed by her husband’s ongoing extra-marital affairs. She came back in time for the wedding, and put on her game face for the occasion, leaving most of the guests unaware of the reality behind the matter.

1979 - The Jacksons perform Destiny tour in San Diego, USA.

1992 - Michael visits Sega Enterprises and discusses a new project.

1996 - Michael perform HIStory concert at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo dattending 45,000 fans.

2007 - Michael takes Prince, Paris & Blanket to a shopping spree in Las Vegas. They rerently came back to the city staying at the PALMS Hotel & Casino

Filed under  //   1973   1979   1992   1996   2007  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1992 - Michael resumed the Dangerous World Tour on 12th December 1992, with a series of eight sold-out dates at Japan's Tokyo Dome. For much of 1993, however, he put the tour 'on hold', so he could concentrate on other projects.

1996 - Michael perform HIStory concert at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo dattending 45,000 fans.

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On a longer stop from HIStory tour in Japan, in December, 1996, Jackson appears at Tower Records on December 12, where he is welcomed by fans with flowers. He takes part in a Hand In Cement Ceremony where he set his hand and signature in plaster for a plaque to be displayed in the store permanently.

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Michael also makes a brief speech there: "Hello, thank you very much for having me. I just want you to know I love you all very much and I'm glad to be back in Japan. Thank you." After which he sinks his hand in cement while fans chant "You Are Not Alone", wipes his hand with a towel and proceeds: "You, guys, sound beautiful singing. Harmony. [smiles] I just want to say thank again for having me here and I'm very happy to be back in Japan and I love you more. I love you more. Thank you."



1998 - Michael attended the Grand Opening of Sun International's US$ 450 million "Royal Towers of Atlantis Resort" on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

"Celebration of Atlantis Rising" for 1,600 invited guests was an unforgettable event culminating in a spectacular fireworks display, a thundering, brilliantly choreographed extravaganza by Fireworks by Grucci.

The monumental bash featuring a surprise performances by Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole, Tevin Campbell, James Ingram, Stephanie Mills, N-Tyce and others, was a party for the ages.

Michael performing Heal The World

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Guests at the grand opening ceremonies included Leonardo di Caprio, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Alfre Woodard, Sidney Poitier, Lee Majors, Donald Trump, Carmen Electra, Chris Noth, Denzel and Pauletta Washington, Quincy Jones, Ivana Trump, Jimmy Buffet, Julia Ormond, Keri Russell, Larry Flynt, Ashford & Simpson, Robin Leach, and dozens of others.

Michael performed Heal The World - a short, impromptu live performance when he was handed a microphone and asked to sing which, somewhat reluctantly, he did.

Filed under  //   1992   1996   1998  

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